diff --git a/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backup_test.go b/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backup_test.go
index fab1d60a7daf..5d77e6294114 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backup_test.go
+++ b/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backup_test.go
@@ -4120,6 +4120,30 @@ func TestRestoreAsOfSystemTimeGCBounds(t *testing.T) {
 	sqlDB.Exec(
 		t, fmt.Sprintf(`RESTORE data.bank FROM $1 AS OF SYSTEM TIME %s`, postGC), lateFullTableBackup,
 	)
+
+	t.Run("restore-pre-gc-aost", func(t *testing.T) {
+		backupPath := dir + "/tbl-before-gc"
+		_, _, sqlDB, _, cleanupFn := BackupRestoreTestSetup(t, singleNode, 0, InitManualReplication)
+		defer cleanupFn()
+
+		sqlDB.Exec(t, "CREATE DATABASE db")
+		sqlDB.Exec(t, "CREATE TABLE db.a (k int, v string)")
+		sqlDB.Exec(t, `BACKUP DATABASE db TO $1 WITH revision_history`, backupPath)
+
+		sqlDB.Exec(t, "DROP TABLE db.a")
+		sqlDB.ExpectErr(
+			t, `pq: failed to resolve targets in the BACKUP location specified by the RESTORE stmt, use SHOW BACKUP to find correct targets: table "db.a" does not exist, or invalid RESTORE timestamp: supplied backups do not cover requested time`,
+			fmt.Sprintf(`RESTORE TABLE db.a FROM $1 AS OF SYSTEM TIME %s`, preGC),
+			backupPath,
+		)
+
+		sqlDB.Exec(t, "DROP DATABASE db")
+		sqlDB.ExpectErr(
+			t, `pq: failed to resolve targets in the BACKUP location specified by the RESTORE stmt, use SHOW BACKUP to find correct targets: database "db" does not exist, or invalid RESTORE timestamp: supplied backups do not cover requested time`,
+			fmt.Sprintf(`RESTORE DATABASE db FROM $1 AS OF SYSTEM TIME %s`, preGC),
+			backupPath,
+		)
+	})
 }
 
 func TestAsOfSystemTimeOnRestoredData(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backupresolver/targets.go b/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backupresolver/targets.go
index 53c9f5dd5b9b..71c61bc8d631 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backupresolver/targets.go
+++ b/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backupresolver/targets.go
@@ -248,6 +248,7 @@ func DescriptorsMatchingTargets(
 	searchPath sessiondata.SearchPath,
 	descriptors []catalog.Descriptor,
 	targets tree.TargetList,
+	asOf hlc.Timestamp,
 ) (DescriptorsMatched, error) {
 	ret := DescriptorsMatched{}
 
@@ -258,11 +259,15 @@ func DescriptorsMatchingTargets(
 
 	alreadyRequestedDBs := make(map[descpb.ID]struct{})
 	alreadyExpandedDBs := make(map[descpb.ID]struct{})
+	invalidRestoreTsErr := errors.Errorf("supplied backups do not cover requested time")
 	// Process all the DATABASE requests.
 	for _, d := range targets.Databases {
 		dbID, ok := resolver.DbsByName[string(d)]
 		if !ok {
-			return ret, errors.Errorf("unknown database %q", d)
+			if asOf.IsEmpty() {
+				return ret, errors.Errorf("database %q does not exist", d)
+			}
+			return ret, errors.Wrapf(invalidRestoreTsErr, "database %q does not exist, or invalid RESTORE timestamp", d)
 		}
 		if _, ok := alreadyRequestedDBs[dbID]; !ok {
 			desc := resolver.DescByID[dbID]
@@ -355,7 +360,10 @@ func DescriptorsMatchingTargets(
 			p.ObjectNamePrefix = prefix
 			doesNotExistErr := errors.Errorf(`table %q does not exist`, tree.ErrString(p))
 			if !found {
-				return ret, doesNotExistErr
+				if asOf.IsEmpty() {
+					return ret, doesNotExistErr
+				}
+				return ret, errors.Wrapf(invalidRestoreTsErr, `table %q does not exist, or invalid RESTORE timestamp`, tree.ErrString(p))
 			}
 			tableDesc, isTable := descI.(catalog.TableDescriptor)
 			// If the type assertion didn't work, then we resolved a type instead, so
@@ -513,7 +521,7 @@ func ResolveTargetsToDescriptors(
 
 	var matched DescriptorsMatched
 	if matched, err = DescriptorsMatchingTargets(ctx,
-		p.CurrentDatabase(), p.CurrentSearchPath(), allDescs, *targets); err != nil {
+		p.CurrentDatabase(), p.CurrentSearchPath(), allDescs, *targets, endTime); err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backupresolver/targets_test.go b/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backupresolver/targets_test.go
index 6e85063262d5..0e4dcd270d3f 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backupresolver/targets_test.go
+++ b/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backupresolver/targets_test.go
@@ -171,16 +171,16 @@ func TestDescriptorsMatchingTargets(t *testing.T) {
 		err             string
 	}{
 		{"", "DATABASE system", []string{"system", "foo", "bar"}, []string{"system"}, ``},
-		{"", "DATABASE system, noexist", nil, nil, `unknown database "noexist"`},
+		{"", "DATABASE system, noexist", nil, nil, `database "noexist" does not exist`},
 		{"", "DATABASE system, system", []string{"system", "foo", "bar"}, []string{"system"}, ``},
 		{"", "DATABASE data", []string{"data", "baz"}, []string{"data"}, ``},
 		{"", "DATABASE system, data", []string{"system", "foo", "bar", "data", "baz"}, []string{"data", "system"}, ``},
-		{"", "DATABASE system, data, noexist", nil, nil, `unknown database "noexist"`},
+		{"", "DATABASE system, data, noexist", nil, nil, `database "noexist" does not exist`},
 		{"system", "DATABASE system", []string{"system", "foo", "bar"}, []string{"system"}, ``},
-		{"system", "DATABASE system, noexist", nil, nil, `unknown database "noexist"`},
+		{"system", "DATABASE system, noexist", nil, nil, `database "noexist" does not exist`},
 		{"system", "DATABASE data", []string{"data", "baz"}, []string{"data"}, ``},
 		{"system", "DATABASE system, data", []string{"system", "foo", "bar", "data", "baz"}, []string{"data", "system"}, ``},
-		{"system", "DATABASE system, data, noexist", nil, nil, `unknown database "noexist"`},
+		{"system", "DATABASE system, data, noexist", nil, nil, `database "noexist" does not exist`},
 
 		{"", "TABLE foo", nil, nil, `table "foo" does not exist`},
 		{"system", "TABLE foo", []string{"system", "foo"}, nil, ``},
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ func TestDescriptorsMatchingTargets(t *testing.T) {
 			targets := stmt.AST.(*tree.Grant).Targets
 
 			matched, err := DescriptorsMatchingTargets(context.Background(),
-				test.sessionDatabase, searchPath, descriptors, targets)
+				test.sessionDatabase, searchPath, descriptors, targets, hlc.Timestamp{})
 			if test.err != "" {
 				if !testutils.IsError(err, test.err) {
 					t.Fatalf("expected error matching '%v', but got '%v'", test.err, err)
diff --git a/pkg/ccl/backupccl/targets.go b/pkg/ccl/backupccl/targets.go
index 1eaf34de466f..8a1c81d04c24 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/backupccl/targets.go
+++ b/pkg/ccl/backupccl/targets.go
@@ -468,7 +468,7 @@ func selectTargets(
 	}
 
 	matched, err := backupresolver.DescriptorsMatchingTargets(ctx,
-		p.CurrentDatabase(), p.CurrentSearchPath(), allDescs, targets)
+		p.CurrentDatabase(), p.CurrentSearchPath(), allDescs, targets, asOf)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/ccl/backupccl/testdata/backup-restore/temp-tables b/pkg/ccl/backupccl/testdata/backup-restore/temp-tables
index 75828a5f408a..dcf2e2afebb2 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/backupccl/testdata/backup-restore/temp-tables
+++ b/pkg/ccl/backupccl/testdata/backup-restore/temp-tables
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ public
 exec-sql
 BACKUP TABLE temp_table TO 'nodelocal://0/temp_table_backup'
 ----
-pq: failed to resolve targets specified in the BACKUP stmt: table "temp_table" does not exist
+pq: failed to resolve targets specified in the BACKUP stmt: table "temp_table" does not exist, or invalid RESTORE timestamp: supplied backups do not cover requested time
 
 exec-sql
 BACKUP DATABASE d1 TO 'nodelocal://0/d1_backup/'